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Posts tagged ‘fun’

My daughter wanted me to read a story. Without a book in hand, I simply made one up. 😉

Once upon a time, because she thinks all stories start that way, there was a little girl named Claralynn. She loved to sing, dance, and play all day.

She got out of bed one morning, changed her clothes, and then flew down the stairs. (Maybe she quite literally flew! It’s a story and within such things, anything can be true!) She felt so hungry that she could eat a house, though, why would you want to eat a house? So, she grabbed an apple and devoured it. Still hungry, she looked through the cupboard and found cheese crackers. (Who doesn’t love a good cheese cracker now and then?) So, she ate those too!

La la la la, she was singing a little tune. She envisioned a furry red Muppet named Elmo. Together, they sang his song Elmo’s world and played with his fish, Dorothy. After awhile, Elmo had to go. Other kids want to see him too, he’s quite the popular fellow, don’t you know? So, they sang one more song and then it was time to move on.

Next, she wandered through the house, which became a rainforest. Rain, rain, go away! But it wouldn’t go away, not just yet. While taking in the new view, Wyatt flew by. Claralynn exclaimed, “Super Why!” He turned, smiled, and waved hello. Claralynn waved back. He and his merry band of Super Readers landed and decided to play with her in the trees for awhile.

As the rain slowed, it was time for them to go. They said their goodbyes and she made her way through the rainforest. She went into the familiar living room she’s known for as long as she can recall. (To a toddler, as long as she can recall isn’t long to us, but to her it’s a lifetime.) She turned on some music. She decided then to have a dance party. She danced for what felt like hours.

Dancing can sure tire a little girl out, so Claralynn switched the music from party music to lullabies. She laid down on the couch and covered herself up with her favorite purple blanket. It felt soft upon her bare arms. She snuggled into it and soon she was asleep.

Awhile later, Claralynn awoke. She grabbed a cup of milk and a peanut butter sandwich, had herself a late lunch, and then decided it was time to play again. She put her dishes in the sink, because that’s where dirty dishes go after all.

Claralynn went potty on the toilet, because that’s what big girls do and after she washed her hands, she put on her shoes and went outside to play. She saw her friend and he saw her too. He waved and she waved back. They ran around, kicking a brightly colored ball for awhile and then decided to go on the slide. They took turns, as that’s what polite people do. (Gotta teach them young, you know!) Later, they rode on rockets to the moon. Within your head, it takes but moments to make the journey. Before long, they were standing on the moon, looking at their world far below. “The world is so small!” Exclaimed Claralynn.” Her friend nodded vigorously.

They explored the moon for a bit. Looking at the galaxy around them was so wondrous. After a little while, they found that they missed home though. So, they ate a quick snack (nom nom nom) and flew home. Traveling to the moon and back took longer than they thought. It was getting late. Her friend needed to go to back to his house. (Surely his mommy and daddy were missing him so!) They said their farewells and she watched him walk down the street a little before heading in.

Claralynn saw dinner on the table and climbed onto a chair between her mommy and daddy. As fun as her solo adventures had been, it was nice to be with her family again. (I’m thinking they were there all the while, but sometimes a girl just needs to feel like she’s doing things on her own.)

After dinner, she went potty on the toilet, again, my what a truly big girl Claralynn is! Then, it was bath time. She was washed from head to toe. Among the bubbles and foam letters, her day’s adventures fell away. She splashed water all over. There was a small pool on the floor. (Maybe she’d play there later too!)

After her bath, she put her pjs on. She got a cup of milk, sat on her mommy’s lap, and daddy started to read one of her favorite stories about settling down for the night. “Read book!” Claralynn shouted when he finished. Okay, little lady, one more book. This time, her mommy read about green eggs and ham. After spending time with Sam I Am, it was time to brush teeth. So she did just that! (Ooh sparkly!)

She gave her mommy and daddy their nightly hugs and kisses, squeezes too! She went upstairs, climbed into bed, laid down her head, and cuddled with one of her Mickey Mouse toys, don’t forget about Minnie! With her lullabies playing once more, it wasn’t long before she drifted off. Sweet dreams of her fun day began and fun ideas for tomorrow filled her head too. Goodnight, my sweet sleepy head. God bless you, my love. See you in the morning, then new adventures will begin.

***pictures taken by me, of the inspiration for this story, miss Claralynn herself***

Like this:

How is it that there are 10 days left of 2018? This year, as nearly every year since becoming an adult, has flown by. I am reflecting upon the past 355 days, as I tend to do every year around this time. What a year it has been.

January – My grandma and one of the dearest people in my life passed away. Business was slow.

February – Business picked up some. Court ordered a G.A.L. be appointed.

March – I did my first wedding of the year, along with several other sessions. I was prepping for my daughter’s second birthday party. I met with the G.A.L.

April – My daughter turned two! It was fun celebrating her birthday! I did my second wedding, got it last minute, on my husband’s 30th birthday. He had a fun celebration with friends and family.

June – Business was fairly busy, with three weddings, a family session, etc. We wanted to get a camping trip in and then never got the chance. I had to take my son to summer school that was over an hour away every day he was with me and it made for long days.

July – I had to get my son to summer school some yet. He nearly failed the one class, but I got him to turn things around. I worked with his teacher to figure things out and got him to study. I had two more weddings. Court for placement wasn’t fun. I asked for an appeal. I did a couple weddings.

August – I did a wedding and a lot of sessions. We made time to go to the parks and swim over the summer. Too bad we didn’t make it camping though.

September – I think this was my busiest month for business. I did three weddings, a Quinceanera, a Sweet 16th, senior pictures, etc. My son started sophomore year. Hubby drove a lot of Uber hours. Life was so busy.

October – We celebrated six years together as a couple. It was a busy month for business too, two weddings, four senior picture sessions, etc. I got to go to Florida and ride on a plane for the first time ever, witnessed my cousin’s wedding. It was an incredible experience!!!! We took the kids trick or treating. I finally got to see the otter exhibit at the zoo. It was prep time for my son’s 16th birthday party.

November – My son turned 16!!!! He had a lot of family and friends come by. It was crowded in our house. 😉 He had a great time! Business was still fairly busy, but wedding season was finally over, except for the editing part. The appeal for court went fairly well. I get placement over the summer and should all go well then, there’s a good chance I get to keep it into the school year. I am PSYCHED! We have been fighting for this for years! Here’s hoping!!!

December – I turned 40 a few days ago. I have had quite the month so far! My hubby took me to see Lindsey Stirling and while away, I also got a spa package at the amazing hotel he booked a room at. It was a wonderful time all around!!! I got to see my friends this past weekend and that was fun. I got to sing karaoke! I started bowling every other week with friends. I did Santa mini sessions in my studio, for year number three. I wish I had booked more. I am finally making a dent in my editing.

There have been some struggles throughout the year, largely financial, but we keep plugging away. God helps us keep going. The kids are healthy, we all have one another, a roof over our heads, plenty to eat, clothes to wear, etc. We are also surrounded by family and friends. As stressed as we have been, honestly, things could be a lot worse. I think we are actually fairly blessed. 2018 hasn’t been great money wise and we have lost people we love, but it hasn’t been a BAD year. A lot of great things happened. I am looking forward to seeing where 2019 takes us though!!! 2019, here we come!!!!

Like this:

Summer is over halfway over, but it is not yet done. There is still plenty of time for camping, bonfires, ball games, hiking, picnics, swimming, sitting out on the porch and enjoying the fresh air, and so on.

What do you enjoy most about Summer? How do you spend free time during the Summer months? Do you prefer to be indoors or outdoors? Is this your favorite season? If not, what is?

I don’t like the humidity, so when it’s really bad, I do prefer to be inside. So, late Spring and early Fall are my favorite seasons. But on really nice Summer days, I like to be outside enjoying the fresh air, the gentle breeze, and the beauty all around me. I like to go for walks, especially in parks. There’s a lot about Summer that is wonderful. My hubby and I will put our baby girl in her stroller and take her for a walk to get exercise and enjoy the day together on the weekends. Grilling out and sitting outside to eat and talk is nice too. I like camping as well, but we’re not comfortable taking our daughter to do such things yet. We are still finding ways to enjoy the summer and expose her to the world around her though. And that’s what we want her to grow up doing, being exposed to the beauty that surrounds her and enjoying the goodness that is there, if she but looks for it.

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Cedarburg is known for many things, one of which being the Strawberry Festival, which is now celebrating its 31st year. People come from miles around each year to partake in everything strawberry, from wine and beer to chicken, brats, and even salsa. You can, of course, find fresh strawberries to buy and take home home with you. But, there’s more than just food and drink along Washington Avenue. There are hundreds of vendors selling things such as clothing, jewelry, books, toys, and plenty of other homemade crafts.

It’s more than food, drink, and shopping at the Strawberry Festival. Prepare to enjoy live music and games as well. I even saw people getting their hair done! It was quite the sight to see. There’s so much going on, you’ll never experience it all in one day. But that’s okay, they make a weekend out of it. It’s definitely something you’ll want to make sure you get to experience!

If you’re looking to spend the day there, I would suggest, however, to make sure you have a decent amount of money with you. Some things are reasonably priced, but others aren’t. If you’re on a budget though, you can make it work to go and have a good time.

It was our first time going and I wasn’t sure what to think. A number of people I know go every year, but I was told it gets very crowded and it can be a bit intimidating. It was indeed crowded, but it was a lot of fun. We enjoyed seeing the many different booths, trying various strawberry delights, and listening to the music we heard along our walk.

I would recommend going, just be sure to bring sunscreen and drink plenty of water, especially if it’s a day like today. My personal favorites from today were the steak sandwich and strawberry shortcake. I did also buy some fresh strawberries, will be trying those tomorrow; they look delicious!

If you enjoy events such as the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival, I’d also highly recommend Maxwell Street Days. They have four dates throughout the year, the next one being July, 17th. Cedarburg is a tourist friendly city, with so much to offer. Stop on out and check out the many events going on, you won’t be disappointed!

I am Brangien [Brangaine] of Weisefort, Ireland, lady-in-waiting to my cousin Isolde, who became promised to King Marc of Cornwall. His nephew Tristan escorted us to England by ship. But Tristan and Isolde fell in love at sea. As ye may know, or will find out, they cite the philter they drank as the cause, over which I was supposed to keep vigil. I would like to share my perspective of how I have created good in the world through my herbs and observations. There is much to tell, including how I have adopted this odd language. In good time. My life is in God’s hands. –Inspired by the modern French translations of the Tristan and Isolde texts